One of the persistent challenges for rural, regional, and remote (RRR) practitioners is accessing reliable, comprehensive legal research tools without the benefit of metropolitan libraries or firm‑wide subscriptions. The Law Library can serve as a practical solution to that gap.
Many practitioners know of the library’s physical collection and onsite databases, but fewer know about its email research service, which can be a useful tool when physical onsite resources are difficult to access.
About the State Law Library
The Law Library was formed in 2016 through the consolidation of the former Supreme Court Library and the Crown Law Library. This unified collection now sits on Level 2 of the David Malcolm Justice Centre and serves approximately 9,000 external users across the profession.
The library is not open to the public. Access is available to admitted practitioners, PLT candidates, and legal support staff within legal practices working for admitted practitioners.
The Legal Practice Board of Western Australia contributes $600,000 per year towards the cost of providing and maintaining the Law Library.
Oversight is provided by the Law Library Advisory Committee, comprising representatives from the Judiciary, the Solicitor‑General, the Law Society, the WA Bar Association and the Legal Practice Board.
Email research service
The library provides access to major legal research databases, including LexisNexis, Westlaw and CCH. These databases are available via three dedicated onsite research terminals. Remote access is not permitted under supplier agreements. For RRR practitioners, this limitation makes the library’s email research service especially important.
The Email Reference Desk is staffed by two experienced librarians who respond to research or reference requests. Practitioners can request:
- Case law searches
- Legislative history
- Commentary from leading texts
- Articles or secondary sources
Where licensing permits, materials are supplied electronically.
The service operates on a modest cost‑recovery basis, with fees currently set at:
- $22 for a chapter from a legal text
- $22 for a case, article, or similar document
These fees apply per item supplied, not per request. The library encourages practitioners to contact staff if they are unsure how charges may apply to a particular enquiry.
Librarians are available to assist with this service in person, by email to llwa@justice.wa.gov.au or by phone on 08 9264 1498.
Adding value
These services can dramatically reduce the time and cost of conducting complex research for those without access to metropolitan resources.
For RRR practitioners who often work without the benefit of large research libraries or metropolitan resources, the Law Library’s email research service offers a practical and cost‑effective lifeline.
More information about Law Library services can be found at the Department of Justice Law Library web pages.
